Helping Nigeria, winning the Euroleague cup, news from Hollywood and more… This week from Israel

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has accepted Israel’s offer of help in rescuing some 200 schoolgirls captured in April by members of the Islamist terror organization Boko Haram. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Jonathan: “We are ready to help in finding the girls and fighting the cruel terrorism inflicted on you.”

The travelling 9/11 exhibition, "Ground Zero 360," opened last week at the Rabin Center in Tel-Aviv in the presence of New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton. The opening ceremony was also attended by Rabin Center Chairwoman Dalia Rabin; Israel Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino; Fire and Rescue Services Commissioner Shahar Ayalon; William Grant, the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv; Dov Shefi, who represented the families of the Israelis killed in the terror attack; and representatives of the families of the victims from New York.

A class project by three Technion University students could lead to a device to help the blind easily navigate their environment. Using a Kinect 3D camera, a computer and an Android phone for audio interaction, Tzahi Simkin, Gal Dalal and Danny Zilber developed a system that detects upcoming obstacles and uses audio messages and signals to alert users if they are about to bump into something and how to avoid the obstacle

On Sunday night, Israeli basketball team Maccabi Tel Aviv recorded a stunning 98-86 overtime victory over Real Madrid in Milan, to claim a sixth European championship title in club history. The match was long and stressful, but it was all worth it for that moment when all of Israel, from north to south, joint together in celebration.

Israel is one of the countries with the highest level of air pollution in the world, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). According the toe report, which surveyed 1,600 cities in 91 countries, Israel is ranked 12th in levels of PM10, tiny particles of solid or liquid floating in the atmosphere that affect our health.

In the past 10 years, the IDF started a program called “Great in Uniform,” with the purpose of integrating young people with disabilities in the IDF, first as volunteers and then as soldiers in every aspect, including the simple soldier's ID and uniform. This, as part of their preparation for an independent life and their integration into Israeli society. Watch here how they do it.

Israel- a Hollywood favorite

Gideon Raff, co-creator of the hit television series Homeland, and a few TV hits in the making, believes his native country should become a prime location for US television shows about the Middle East and is working hard to make this happen. In an interview to Ynet, he shares his Israel-US entertainment vision.

Curling is certainly not an indigenous sport to Israel or anywhere in the Middle East, but the Israeli wheelchair curling team do not let the warm climate stop them from aiming high. The group of Israeli wheelchair curlers training for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics traveled to Bratislava recently for three days of practice and a friendly with the Slovakian National Team, which placed sixth in Sochi Paralympic Games.

Israel’s largest private cyber-security software company CyberArk was selected as best advanced persistent threat protection at the SC Awards Europe 2014. At the same event, it also was ranked “highly commended” in the identity-management category from among hundreds of vendors and service providers. Congrats!

SpaceIL, an organization planning to send an Israeli-built spacecraft to the moon, has started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $240,000 to fuel its ship and encourage more students to study math and science - the skills Israel needs to become a “space power.” The campaign is also intended to raise awareness of SpaceIL’s goals and space travel in general. Those who fund the project will have an opportunity to be a part of it, even helping out in the control room on launch day.

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